Navigation Menu: Social Icons

Restaurants Poland

We’ve been fans of Piwna Stopa since the beginning. We met the proprietor a couple of years ago at Browarfest in the Stary Rynek. At that time, he was tending bar at another pub. Last year, we began seeing facebook check-in at a place called Piwna Stopa. When we finally stopped by, it was a pleasure to find Simon and Jan there. It’s become our go to place for craft beer in Poznan. Polish friends always give us a weird look when we recommend the place to them. In Polish, it name means Beer Foot, and the logo and much of the artwork include a woman’s foot.

Footiness aside, the beer and atmosphere here are fantastic. They don’t carry the big name beers in Poland, but you’ll find 12 craft beers on tap. There will be 13 on the chalkboard. The 13th one is a unique blend of the other 12 beers. That was the first drink Ed had at Piwna Stopa, and he said it was actually pretty good. If you time it right, you’ll also find beers from Belgium. Simon recommended the lambic cassis to me, and I loved it ever since. Belgium Lambics are brewed without adding any yeast. They are naturally fermented with the wild yeast in the air. Many lambics feature fruit with barley and hops in very low amounts, so the fruit shines as in a cider or sparking wine.

Its been interesting to watch the decor evolve. The furniture is all oak, a sturdy style, built in Belgium. There’s a mural on the ceiling of the brewing process. The chair rail has been lined with beer coasters, and beer bottle labels have begun to paper the space between pieces of art on the wall. There’s a fireplace, that is most welcome during the winter months. When it’s nicer out, there are tables and umbrellas outside between the buildings. The vines that try to take over the area literally give the feel of a beer garden.

Last fall, Ed had planned a trip home, and Sebastian, one of the staff who is a home brewer asked if Ed would bring back some American hops. Ed gladly found some hops at a beer supply store. Our niece’s fiancé, who is also a home brewer, chipped in a big bag of hops too. So Ed returned to Poland bringing gifts of hops and a couple of hard to find Americn craft beers. It’s enough to make a beer lovers heart sing. Before we left Poland, we stopped by for the home brewing demonstration. The boiling wort made the pub feel like a room at the Palm House at Wilsona Park. This special batch was to be served for Sylvester, New Year’s Eve. We were home by then, so we missed to beer and the party, but the brew was named “Ed’s Feet.” A thoughtful touch. It’s nice to know that we may be gone but are not forgotten.

I will miss sitting outside at Piwna Stopa come summer. We’ll try to recreate the feel as best we can in our own garden.

As of December 2014, Rico’s Kitchen is closed for remodeling, but you can try these and other dishes at nearby, Made in China.

We enjoyed our first visit to Rico’s Kitchen, Poznan’s authentic Chinese restaurant and look forward to trying more of their dishes. I started to say more on their menu, but there isn’t a menu! 🙂 Our waitress told us the basics of what they were offering that day and made recommendations based on our preferences.

Rico’s Kitchen is located at ul. Grundnia 9, and like many things in Poznan, you go through a small alley to reach them. I first learned about the restaurant when Rico was interviewed by our friend, Maciek, for an episode of We Love Poznan. I’ve been wanting to try it ever since.

When I was a Euro volunteer, one of my English speaking volunteer colleagues was a young woman from Hong Kong who was working in Poznan. She writes a travel blog, The Nerdy Travelholic, and has some exciting adventures to share. We met for a cup of tea one day and spend hours chatting once we got on the subject of our blogs (she shares my love of cooking too). It came up in the conversation, that she really missed authentic Chinese noodles. She said that what was being passed off in the supermarkets and Chinese markets in Poznan, was really Vietnamese. I wouldn’t know the difference, but obviously she did.

Based on my friends’s observations, Rico’s Kitchen is filling a void in Poznan’s international food offerings, and we knew that one thing we would have to try were the noodles. Our waitress told us that the portion would be large enough for two and she was right. We also had a sweet and sour (our waitress called it something else, maybe bitter and sweet) chicken, and spicy beef. I think the bigger the group the better; you could try more things.

There is a small sign on Grundnia and the alleyway is lined with red Chinese lanterns. During the summer, everyone sits outside in a small garden decorated with what I think are enormous pieces of coral. It was winter when Maciek visited, and they went upstairs to a dining room then.

Poznan just got a little more charming! Cafe Bimba opened last month, just a stone’s throw from Plac Bernardynski. The Poznan trams have a special place in my heart. So when we spotted a parked tram car turned cafe, we had to check it out. We’d been to the Stary Rynek, eating and drinking at Browarfest. We were actually on our way home, waiting for a tram at Plac Bernardynski when we saw Cafe Bimba, so we weren’t really looking for much in the way of food and drink.

It was a warm evening, and all of the outdoor tables were full. I was dreading the thought of sitting inside. An antique tram car without a breeze from moving down the tracks. I thought it would be roasting inside with all that glass that had been sitting in the sun all day. We opened the door to go in, and I was thrilled with the blast of chilled air that hit me in the face — air conditioning! Well done, guys!

The interior of the tram has been beautifully converted, lots of chrome, but keeping the feel of the tram’s era. Kind of like the train dining cars that became diners in the USA before fast food became all the rage. I hope they have a great success because Cafe Bimba adds such an interesting spin to the Poznan cafe scene. The staff was friendly and helpful.

We had a water and a beer and split a slice of almond cake which was nice. They seem to offer a variety of beverages and the usual coffee shop fare. I’ve read that the owner has other cafes and has plans to open a second tram cafe near Rataje.

So if you’re in the area, stop by. I think you’ll find Cafe Bimba charming too!

This black sausage on a potato and sauerkraut pancake is so traditionally Polish. The fact that the pancake is glazed with chutney adds a modern twist and for me, totally makes the dish. I must give full credit to a new friend and Poznan chef, the creative genius behind Kuchnia Chrisa: bo kuchnia jest sztuka. For those of you who don’t speak Polish or spend less time on Google translate than I do, it means Chris’ Kitchen: because the kitchen is art.

You never know where you’ll pick up a new recipe. We joined another expat friend for a drink last Friday at The Voyager Wine Club, a local wine bar (thanks for the suggestion, Yana). We happened to be there, during the filming of a short documentary on the eastern expansion of the European Union. It’s been 10 years since Poland joined the EU. A camera crew had spent a couple of days following Chris around Poznan, to tell the story of a German national who has moved east to live and work. They had us sign a release and went about filming as we sampled two of Chris’ dishes and he chatted with patrons.

We spoke with Chris at length about this dish and kaszanka. Kaszanka is a black or blood sausage made with pork, blood, barley or buckwheat, and spices. Chris buys his sausage from Marek at the Organic Market at Plac Bernardynski just like our friend Norbert (who has taken us shopping at this market). He offered to meet us at the market on Saturday morning and introduce us to Marek because they were planning to film some outdoor shots at the market. We sampled many of Marek’s goat’s milk cheeses and bought some kaszanka and chorizo.

In addition to providing the culinary side of the wine bar, which includes a once-a-month four course meal, Chris takes people on culinary tours of Poznan and the Wielkopolskie region – just the thing for any foodies vacationing in Poland!

On it’s own, I find kaszanka a little on the bland side. I prefer sausages with a lot of garlic and a smokey flavor, but in this application, it was brilliant. For me, dining out is ideally a source of inspiration for my cooking at home. I had to try making these. I added a few things to my usual potato pancake recipe and made nine 6-inch pancakes. Ed wanted to take some to his office the next day, so we cut the pancakes into fourths to make them finger food. I think making the pancakes small, maybe 2 inches, would make for a terrific canape. The larger size is perfect for a modern Polish or MoPo first course.

Smacznego!

Lois

PS – I’m sorry to say that our friend Chris has passed away. He was such a dear, young man and we cherish his memory.

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, egg, flour, dill, and season with salt and pepper

Add the caraway seeds and just a little oil to a pan and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

If you are using a basic American sauerkraut, drain and rinse. If you have a good natural kraut, like Polish kapusta, just drain, and add to kraut to the seeds, cook just enough to dry it out a bit, not to brown it.

Add the seeds and kraut to the potato mixture.

Over high/medium-high heat, add oil, about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) deep to a frying pan. The potato mixture will separate a bit, so always give it a stir before spooning into the pan.

To make 6 inch pancakes, add about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture to oil and spread it out into a circle, for smaller, bite-sized pancakes, spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into the oil and spread into a circle.

When the edges begin to brown, turn the pancakes over and brown the other side. (I rotate the pancakes in the pan before flipping because the centers cook faster than the edges. Using two spatulas to maneuver the pancakes while flipping will keep the oil from splashing,)

When both sides are nicely browned, remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat until you’ve used all the potato batter.

Remove the casing from the kaszanka and slice. I cooked it in the same pan with just a little of the oil used for the pancakes.

Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes (kaszanka is already pasteurized), turning occasionally. The slices will crumble and it will begin to look like ground meat, remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the chutney in the microwave or in a small pan just to make it easier to spread, using a pastry brush, brush a thin glaze of chutney over each pancake.

Poznan can boast of many independent coffee shops; exploring them could be a lifelong adventure. My friend, Klaudia, has been recommending La Ruina to me, but to be perfectly honest, I was intimidated by their description on facebook: cafe, amusement park ride, movie theater. It sounded like it might be too much for a non-native to take on.

Klaudia and I hadn’t seen each other for a while, so she suggested we meet at La Ruina yesterday. Just a few yards from our frequent bike route at Śródka 3, I kept thinking how have I missed this – the place must be massive? Actually, La Ruina is a typical Polish coffee shop on the ground floor of an apartment building, not intimidating at all, with cozy seating for about 20. A variety of tea and coffee drinks are available.

We had a cappuccino and a cafe latte and sampled the two cakes featured that day: a flourless chocolate cake and a New York style cheesecake. The flourless cake was dense, moist and intensely chocolate. The cheese used in the cheesecake made it American, but there was something about the texture that still said Polish to me. Both were yummy.

Just down the street from the cathedral, we had the shop to ourselves in the beginning, but then the place quickly filled up, and I suspect it stays they way until they close at night. Bright, clean, with English speaking staff, La Ruina is definitely foreigner friendly; I needn’t have worried.

Before we left, one the owners gave us a tour of the restaurant they’re opening next door in a former bakery. The restaurant name, Raj, translates to Paradise and is taken from a film title. The menu inspired by their travels will feature Vietnamese and Thai food. In the back of the restaurant is what used to be the bakery kitchen, an old oven door remains in a tile wall. This room has been converted to a theater seating about 30 people.

As for the amusement park ride, I’m not sure. Klaudia did say that they have more outdoor seating in the summer and badminton set up. If you’re in the area of Rondo Śródka, check it out.

Restaurant Day began in Helsinki, Finland almost three years ago. A would-be restaurateur, put off by government restrictions and paperwork, joined together with friends with the thought of opening a one-day popup restaurant. The laws don’t apply in Finland if you’re only doing it for one day – similar to Health Department exemptions for Bake Sales in the US. They called it Restaurant Day and there were 36 popups in Finland and one in Pineville, North Carolina, USA back in May 2011. Restaurant Day now happens four times a year. With social media, it has spread across the globe. Anyone who wants to can join the fun and set up a restaurant for a day.

Yesterday, there were 1168 popup restaurants, 23 of them here in Poznan. With our friends, we managed to sample the fare at six of them.

Our first stop was at a language school in a beautiful old apartment building on Plac Bernardynski. As you can imagine, those who teach foreign languages need to travel and hone their skills with native speakers. Some of the staff had spent time in Portugal and wanted to share the good food with the rest of Poznan. They just hadn’t expected so much of Poznan to take them up of the offer.

When we arrived, they apologized profusely saying that they were really sorry, but they didn’t have a place for us. We gladly waited in the hallway, and within a few minutes, they brought in a table from another room and set it up in the hallway for us. After more than one person apologized for our seating, saying that it was the first time they’ve done this, we ordered one of everything on their menu, sampling five savory dishes and two sweets.

Most of the savory dishes included fish. It was used in ways that surprised me including something like a pancake. I snapped a photo of their menu, in case I want to google the dishes and try making some of them myself.

After catching the tram to Marcinkowskiego, we set out on foot, sampling yummy cupcakes and savory muffins prepared by Dolina Muffinkow. Then on to the Poco Loco Hostel where several popups were installed on the 3rd floor. Here we had Moroccan food and an excellent little pear tart. As we crossed through Plac Wolnosci for the second time, I grabbed a bite-sized almond tart (my favorite flavor) from fellow food blogger Ali Baby. I have to thank our mutual friend, Justyna, for the photo of the Ali Baby popup. (Her’s were better than mine.) Our final stop was an outdoor grill serving up cheeseburgers with a hot sauce and bacon marmalade (something that sounds so interesting that I know I will have to make it.)

As we were traipsing about town, we noticed police on almost every corner. Before we got to the Old Market Square, we could hear the chant of the football fans. Marching toward the stadium for that evening’s match. Wanting to see them pass through the square, we also crossed paths with a church procession, entering the square at the same time.

The football fans were carrying flares as if they were torches, tossing the occasional cherry bomb. In addition to singing their usual football chants, there were also patriotic songs. As we later debated whether they were fans or nationalists, an English gentleman, an Arsenal supporter, in town to visit a Polish friend, told us it was a group of football fans, but that they were also commemorating a famous date in history between Poland and German in 1914 1919 (I have been corrected, thanks, Klaudia). They had been part of the group but had popped into Basilium for a cold one before the match. Mystery solved; except that I can’t find record of an important date this early in 1914. Polish readers, can you help me out?

I’ve condensed our day into just over two minutes in the video below. I hope it tempts to you look for Restaurant Day near you in May, or to make your own restaurant for a day!

Ed had to be in eastern part of Poland for a trade show a few weeks ago, we made plans for me to meet him in Warsaw at the end of the week. While he was away, I learned that a Warsaw restaurant, Atelier Amaro had been given a Michelin star earlier this year, Poland’s first. I’d just finished reading Gordon Ramsey’s autobiography, so I had a better idea of what that star entailed.

If you want to go to Atelier Amaro, make a reservation at least three weeks in advance. With our last-minute (two days in advance) request, we didn’t find out until 3:00 PM on Friday that they would have a table for us that evening.

We splurged on their eight course tasting menu. Let me walk you through it with pictures. If you know Polish food, you’ll see the inspiration for these very modern creations, but there were no traditional perogi in sight. It was a fun evening full of memorable dishes, interestingly presented – some of the simpler ones will be making an appearance in our dining room.

The menu changes weekly

Before we got to the first course, we had three amouse bouches:

apple crisps with a marjoram puree (grooves were cut in the serving dish so the crisp, thin slices of apple stood upright)

a golf ball sized tidbit that looked like a little pearlescent apple but was actually made of apricot, herring, and horseradish

sweet potato chips served with goose fat and garlic (I realized that I love goose fat)

Then a bread basket arrived with three kinds of bread, two of which were delicious but normal. The third bread was black. Our waiter told us that the black bread got its color from hay ash (processed to get just the right texture) and also included seeds and nuts. This recipe took months to perfect. The hay ash made an appearance several times during the evening. The little apple mentioned above had a stem made from hay ash.

Our first course came and went without a photo. A thick slice of tomato, smoked, with vanilla salt, and I’m not sure what mirabelle is, maybe a type of plum?. Have you heard of it?

Here we have herring with preserved cucumber, a green apple-chive ice cream, watercress, and jam
Served on a thick chunk of pink Himalayan salt which imparted a wonderful salty taste

This was presented without the broth, the waiter added the consomme at the table
This is oxtail with powdered leek, plum and “fermented bread” (our waiter words, I think we would say sour dough)

No photo of the goat cheese with bison grass and hazelnut. I won’t say that I didn’t like this dish, the taste was nice, but it didn’t leave us saying, “Wow! How did he come up with this?” like the other dishes did.

A sunchoke with boletus mushroom and purslane (succulent leaves that some may call a weed)
The black garnish on the plate? You guessed it! Hay ash!

Our pre-dessert, cherry sorbet with mustard seeds served on a frozen slab
my guess is that the seeds are in a jelly that’s been thinned with water, juice, or wine

While our dessert may look like a pear and we thought it was until we took a spoon to it
it was really more of a pear flavored mousse
The sweet, oat-y crisps underneath were the perfect crunchy contrast
The little jelly at 2:00 on the plate – vodka
and one final appearance from tonight’s novelty, hay ash, in the stem

We finished up the night with tea and coffee, which were accompanied by a small plate of house-made truffles. All in all, a really fun night.

Czerwona Papryka (Red Pepper) is one of two Spanish tapas restaurants in the old square; they’re the one on the east wall. You’ll be greeted by a large black bull in front of the restaurant. We spent 4 years in Spain back in the 80s and have been big fans of Spanish food ever since. Czerwona Papryka does a fine job with tapas, and I was please to see that they offer sangria, not all of Spanish restaurants in Poland or Germany do, and I’ve never understood why.

We’ve shared many of the tapas on the menu: tortilla espanola, gambas con chorizo, bob (fava beans) with choirzo (I wish they had peeled the beans), and paella. We still have a few more to try. We’ve had the same waiter both times that I’ve been there, and the service was very good.

Restauracja Bazar 1838 is named after its historic building and the year construction began. The Bazar Hotel was the center for economic and social life in Poznan when it opened in 1841 – the place for movers and shakers to see and be seen.

We’ve walked by this beautiful restaurant so many times, and we always promise ourselves that the next time we go out for a meal that we will come here. We’ve been saying that for at least 6 months, and we finally remembered! We stopped by here on a Friday night, Noc Kupały actually, and had an early meal before going to the river to watch our fellow Poznanians launch tens of thousands of paper lanterns into the sky.

From the outside, the restaurant looks very posh, very expensive, almost intimidating. Its decor is very nice and the menu very interesting, as Poznan in Your Pocket put it, “looking far pricier from the outside than it actually is.” Once we braved the doorway, we found everyone was sitting on the patio that night. One large table had just stopped by for coffee and dessert, and another was an extended family celebrating a birthday. A young couple came in wearing what seemed to the uniform for young Poznan – a girl dressed to the nines in a very short dress and a guy in tennis shoes, baggy pants and a t-shirt.

I have to give our waiter his own paragraph. The service was fantastic. It was fantastic by American standards. For Poland, it was over the top, worth writing home about. He was personable, attentive without being intrusive, and very knowledgeable about the menu. He was so good that you have to be careful. The young man has mastered the art of selling up – and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He would suggest something with the enthusiasm I would expect if we were guests in his home. I just have to remind myself that these fun recommendations come with a price tag.

We both had starters, a salad for me, a soup for Ed. I had planned on a braised meat (beef, I think), mainly because I was intrigued by the side, carrots cooked with anise and other interesting things. Our waiter strongly urged me to try a steak that may have been the special that night, promising me that it would be much better. My first response was to think, he’s been in the kitchen and must know what he’s talking about, but we’ve been watching a lot of BBC lately with Gordon Ramsey going in to fix restaurants. I can hear Gordon telling the wait staff to push a dish, for reasons other than it’s the best. He’s made me a cynic.

The steak was cut from the tenderloin, one of the few identifiable cuts of beef in Poland. My main dish was OK, nothing memorable. I’ve bought a couple of whole tenderloins in the last couple of months, and I’ve cooked steaks at home that I found more enjoyable. Surprisingly, part of the meat was not particularly tender, and I would have liked more seasoning.

I felt much the same way about my Cesar salad. Here’s a google translation of the description on the menu:

I’ve made Cesar salads at home and that’s just how it should be. The only problem is that the large shavings of Parmesan are the only taste that was identifiable. There was no garlic, no anchovy, no Dijon mustard; the croutons were just crisp bread – no garlic. It wasn’t a bad salad, but I found it lacking. They were kind enough to cook my shrimp well done as I’d requested. I’m sure it bothered the chef, but that’s how I like them, very firm.

While I found this meal on the bland side, Bazar 1838 does have a lot going for it; I’m sure we’ll give them a second chance.

For months, my husband has been telling me that two of his friends were opening a pancake restaurant in Poznan. My first thought was something like an IHOP, but that’s not it. I’ve come across two kinds of pancakes in Poland, potato pancakes and giant crepes (with sweet or savory fillings) – both delisious, but nothing that resembles the familiar stack of flapjacks.

The location, not far from the old square, required some serious renovation, and that has kept the managers busy. I’m happy to say it’s finally here! Manekin, located at Kwiatowa 3, was worth the wait. The first Manekin restaurant is in Turin. I believe the Poznan location is the fourth in Poland.

We had dinner there Saturday night, and it was fantastic! If you’re really hungry, I recommend the mushroom soup, the #10 pancake from the meat section of the menu, and apple pie to finish it off. The restaurant is spacious (includes a playroom for children), with clean white decor. I would describe it as shabby-chic (which is so popular here) with an industrial edge. English speakers who have tried sounding out the restaurant name may realize that it’s mannequin. There are several mannequins adding interest and a feel of authenticity to the decor.

The portions are generous, and the prices are very affordable. Manekin has even changed my mind about drinking wine in Poland. After being charged 45 PLN (more than $15) for a glass of wine at a hotel in Warszawa, I had sworn off wine in Poland – deciding that I would stick to vodka and beer, the traditional local drinks. I broke my own rule Saturday night, and I’m happy to say that the 5,5 PLN glass of wine was every bit as good as the expensive one in Warszawa.